Action
by TeenWriter14
Summary: Pete enters Smallville High's film festival, accidents start happening on the set of his movie and it's up to Clark to find out who is behind it. Meanwhile, Can Lana deal as Clark and Chloe grow closer? Finished!
1. Default Chapter

Action  
  
Author's Note: This takes place in between the episodes "Crush" and "Obscura"  
  
"Welcome students." Vice Principal Griswald said into the microphone at the podium, his voice had been elevated throughout the gymnasium, his chocolate shaded orbs glancing upon the many faces he'd come to known over the short time he had been there.  
The voices of the crowd had seemed to gradually dissipate once the serious expression of  
Principal Kwan had been thrown to them.  
  
"I'm pleased to announce, that Smallville High will be holding it's first annual Film  
Festival." Vice Principal Griswald had a look of almost nobility, glad to know that this activity might  
help the students find their path in life.   
  
"All those who wish to enter may sign up right there in the corner with Mr. Morrissey."  
Principal Reynolds pointed his finger in order to indicate where he had been speaking.  
  
"The films must be no longer then two and a half hours, and must be turned in no later  
then three weeks from now. I hope to see many of you participate in this experience." Vice Principal Griswald's features had kept their noble yet powerful disposition. Within seconds the school bell pierced the air, it was time to go home.  
The clatter of rising students drowned out the remainder of the bell, Clark, Chloe and  
Pete beginning to exit their row of seats.  
  
"Well..that was a nice kill of 5 minutes." Chloe stated rather dryly. It was a shame that it  
hadn't lasted longer, it would've cut into her chemistry class.  
  
"At least we got to miss the end of last period. I think Mrs. Marselle was about to assign a  
report." Clark added in with a thankful jerk of his head.  
"You two gonna enter?" Pete queried as the three had begun to approach the exit of the  
gym.  
  
"I don't think so..I'm already swamped as it is with the Torch. Besides, the whole  
Dawson film-maker dream isn't really my forte'." Chloe gripped the strap of her black messenger  
bag with one hand, it hanging before her green, form fitting coat.  
  
Clark added in a gentle laugh at Chloe's skill full pop reference add in.  
"What about you Clark?" Pete asked, right before his eyes had soon brought themselves  
to the direction that Clark had been staring in; his dream girl Lana Lang accompanied by  
one of her friends.  
  
Chloe too had dragged her look towards Lana. A hint of bitterness overtook her pert features, as light hues  
raised themselves to view Clark's dopey stare.  
  
"Hey, maybe Clark could do a re-make of Romeo and Juliet. Three guess on who he'd cast as Juliet." Pete grinned playfully, always happy to torment Clark's unrequited love.  
As the three had just about reached the main entrance and exit of the gym, Pete slapped  
his hand to Clark's shoulder, a signal for him to stop, assuming Chloe would do the same as well.  
"Guys, I think I'm gonna sign up." Pete almost sounded a bit uncertain, his lips hugging  
each other forcefully. He gazed at the sign up booth longingly, awaiting for input by his two best  
friends.  
  
"That's a great idea Pete." Clark encouraged, despite the barb Pete had taken at his  
expense just a short time ago.  
  
"Hold on Spielberg." Chloe arched a brow, breaking off. "It takes a little more then a  
sudden life long dream and an idea to pick up girls to become a film-maker." She shook her head  
again, soft blonde bangs gained small movement across the right side of her forehead.  
  
"Come on Chloe, how hard can it be?" Pete asked, this time having an air of confidence.  
"Well, for one thing I think you'd need to have an idea for one first." Chloe let out a  
gentle laugh. Leading the other two away from the opening to let the departing students leave.  
"For your information, I have an idea. Imagine it." Pete looked up with an exaggerated  
hopefulness. "You got your classic horror movie, mix it in with some romance and nudity, and  
you got a hit!" Pete laughed, looking to Clark.  
  
"Sounds..good." Clark said hesitantly, he and Chloe now following Pete to the sign up booth.  
"Who're you planning on casting for your campy masterpiece?" Chloe asked.  
  
"Why my two best pals of course." Pete stated jauntily.  
  
Legs clad in a pair of dark blue denim jeans, had carried him to the front of the small  
stand, his hand released the strap of his backpack. Beside him was Joseph Lawry.   
  
He dutifully scrawled his name upon the sign up sheet. Afterm ge stepped out of place past Joseph and to his best  
friends.  
  
All three had exited the gymnasium, and trekked down the emptying hallway.  
"You know Pete, after I proofread a few articles I could help you out on your script."  
Chloe offered, throwing him a sideglance.  
  
"Cool." Pete said, clearly content that someone was willing to help him out.  
"Alright, then we can work on it after school. I'm a real badass when it comes to proofreading, so it shouldn't take long." Chloe mused.  
"I'd help out if I could, but I promised my mom I'd help deliver some of her produce." Clark said a bit remorsefully.  
"It's ok Clark. Since you're my boy and all, I figure you can have the starring role." Pete glanced upwards to his friend as the trio had stopped at the foot of a stairway that led to an upper level of the school.  
"Pete, I don't know..I've never really acted." Clark said, his mind not being able to process him acting.  
"It's not that hard Clark, just memorize your lines, say the lines and your done." Pete stated as he and Chloe begun to ascend up the stairway.  
"Whatever you say Pete." Clark said, shaking his head with an amused smile while he had approached the exit of the school.  
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A soft pace of walk had brought Martha Kent to the dinner table where her husband and son had been seated. Placing down a basket of bread beside the flower centerpiece, she took her seat.  
"Finish chopping the wood son?" Jonathan asked, his strong hand bringing a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.  
"Mhm." Clark replied, his mouth already full of the garlic mashed potatoes.  
  
"Good." Jonathan remarked, a hand reaching for his glass of milk to take a quick swig.  
"Jonathan, I spoke with Lionel today, and he's agreed to give me an extra $150 bonus." Martha said, almost hesitant due to the fact that Jonathan hadn't been much up for discussion with the Luthors or with her recent job.  
Jonathan took in a deep sigh before setting the glass of milk upon the table. He really would prefer if Martha hadn't taken that job, but she was his wife, and he would stand behind her no matter what she did. The bonus hadn't been that bad of an idea either..though he knew it would have that sallow tint knowing it came from one of the Luthors.  
"That's great honey." Jonathan said, slightly forcing a small smile.  
  
Soon enough, a small knock at the kitchen door had diverted their gazes from the small adequate dinner to the image of Pete standing outside. Clark suddenly arose from his seat, taking the door to allow Pete in.  
"Hey Pete." Clark said, a bit curious as to why Pete had come over this late.  
"Hey man." Pete greeted him.  
  
Three stacks of papers had been held beside the side of Pete's tanned coat, the young boy allowing himself closer towards Jonathan and Martha.  
"Hi Mr. And Mrs. Kent." Pete greeted them too, letting his tiers curl upwards in a polite fashion.  
"Hi Pete." Jonathan said, his upper body turned to view him fully. "What brings you here?"  
  
"They're having this film festival type thing at school, and I came here to drop off the script Chloe and I worked on today." Pete said, now handing Clark one of the scripts.  
The smooth piece of paper that had been titled "Love Hurts". Clark had briefly thumbed through the stapled, semi thick papers.  
  
"Chloe and I came up with an idea, and Clark, I want you to play James." Pete said, half hoping that Clark would say yes, but half knowing that he would.  
Clark had still had his doubts that he would be able to pull off acting, but since Pete seemed so interested, he just offered a gentle nod.  
"Mr. And Mrs. Kent." Pete broke off, stepping towards the table. "I kinda have a favor to ask you."  
  
"Sure Pete, anything." Martha said almost offended. Pete had been one of Clark's closest friends ever since she could remember.  
"I was kind of hoping you and Mr. Kent would play the two parents in my movie.." Pete said this with a sort of reservedness.  
"We'd be flattered...right Jonathan..?" Martha gave an enthusiastic nod, giving a small glance towards Jonathan.  
"Sure." Jonathan said, taking in a breath.  
  
"Great." Pete said, he carefully handed the two remaining scripts over towards Martha and Jonathan.  
"You'd be perfect to play Serena's mom and dad." Pete rubbed his hands together habitually in small eagerness.  
Clark had now been thumbing through the pages again, his eyes shifting towards the characters and who would be playing them. His brows had lifted once he had seen both Chloe and Lana's names on it. Still having no idea what exactly the movie was about, he kept quiet on that matter.  
"How are you planning on shooting this?" Jonathan asked.   
  
"Oh, I have my old brother's video camera. Typical how I get the hand-me-downs. Plus my mom says it's less dangerous then dirt bike riding to show my self expression."  
"Well I'd have to agree with her." Martha dutifully added in.  
  
"You've already got the whole cast?" Clark asked before putting his script on the kitchen countertop.  
"What can I say, I'm a persuasive guy." Pete grinned, his pearly whites showing between his lips. "Anyhow I gotta run. Thanks Clark." Pete slapped his hand against Clark's shoulder lightly, then brought his gaze towards Martha and Jonathan. "Mr. And Mrs. Kent." Pete said respectfully. With that Pete turned around fluidly and, exited out of the kitchen.  
Clark soon brought himself back to his seat at the table, and pressed his lips curtly in a small smile towards his parents. For some reason he couldn't picture the Kent Family acting.  
"This sounds like fun." Martha nodded once more, before placing the script beside her plate.  
"Right...fun." Clark said, a hint of uncertainty lingering in his voice.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Lana gripped a square shaped tray which lay beneath two mugs of coffee, careful footsteps bringing the brunette towards a table near the front counter.  
"Here you go." Lana smiled, nodding before she turned to place the tray back onto the front tray.  
Among the occupants of the Talon were Pete, Chloe, Clark, Erica Fox, and Tony Blake, all of them placed at the a magenta colored table. An array of scripts, video equipment and coffee mugs were placed about the surface of it. Clark had already gotten a chance to review the script along with the others and he had to admit that filming some of those scenes would be reasonably uncomfortable. Lana's character Samantha had been his characters ex-girlfriend, and Chloe's character Serena had supposed to be his new girlfriend...of course he hadn't voiced any of his opinions on the subject, knowing that it was just acting.  
"So, what exactly is the plot of this whole thing again?" Erica questioned.  
  
Pete took in a small breath, and set his call sheet schedule on top of a copy of the script.   
"The couple James and Samantha break up, then James goes out with Serena, then Serena's parents and friends start to die, but we don't know who the killer is." Pete summed it up quickly. He felt a bit anxious to just get this project up and rolling.  
"So I play...Serena's friend..Alex..right?" Tony Blake asked for verification.  
  
"Yeah." Pete said before his almond shaped hues caught sight of Joe Lawry who had just entered the Talon.  
"When do we start shooting?" Chloe asked, her orbs had been transfixed upon the first few scenes. She hadn't heard a response, so she looked up towards Pete, who seemed to have his attention elsewhere.  
  
"Pete." Clark said, he too had noticed Pete's distraction.  
  
"Clark, you know Joe Lawry?" Pete asked, trying to keep his stare discreet.  
"Kind of..I guess. Why?" Clark replied.  
  
" 'Cause..." Pete broke off with some uneasiness. "Yesterday when I was going to get some of my equipment..he kind of showed his competitive side about this whole film competition." Pete had finally settled his look to Clark.  
"I guess some people are just like that.." Clark said, giving a casual shrug.  
"So when do we start shooting Pete?" Chloe broke in and arched her brow.  
  
Pete had now distributed the call sheets, that told of who was to show up at what time in what scene etc.  
"You Clark and Lana have to show up here after the Talon closes. Lana agreed to let me use this as a set." Pete said.  
Lana had now made herself towards the table, her flat palms had wiped themselves against the back pockets of her form fitting denim jeans.  
"Right" Lana broke in. She stood with her hands in her back-pockets.  
  
"Here's your call sheet." Pete said, he handed it to her gently.  
"Thanks." Lana offered a polite smile before she turned her head to the side, realizing that someone was in need of service. "If you guys'll excuse me, duty calls." Lana said with a gentle laugh.  
Lana momentarily set the sheet upon the front counter. She removed her hands from the back pockets and made herself over towards the table. Joe Lawry had been waiting at the counter after making his order. Joe was a bit curious as to what Pete was planning for his project. A horror movie was all he had known, and that seemed to be the classic, campy, aspiring film maker's dream, or at least he thought so. Lana placing her call sheet on the counter had caught his eye. He eyed it a bit warily, catching a simple glance of it. Film making had been his dream and he was determined to win this competition.   
He craned his neck casually, checking to see if anyone had been looking towards the counter. He slid his hand carefully over the smooth countertop and stuffed the paper into his coat pocket.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Clark stepped inside of Lex's main office a bit timidly. He let his eyes wander to the familiar decor before he spotted Lex casually shooting a game of pool.  
"Hey Lex." Clark greeted him with a small smile.  
  
"Clark. Just the person I wanted to see." Lex said while placing the pool stick down upon the pool table.  
"Really.." Clark said. "What's up?" He did his best to try and hide any feelings of worry. He'd always gotten a little scared whenever Lex had alluded to something that would cause the need for serious conversation.  
"I spoke to Principal Reynolds a few weeks ago, and offered to make a charitable donation.." Lex broke off, sauntering over towards his desk in order to view a few manilla folders. "Of course..him having his admirable sense of nobility wouldn't accept. That is until I offered to run a film festival. I just wanted to see if he had followed through on that."  
"That's just what I came over to ask you about..." Clark said.  
  
"Really." Lex said. He finally brought his gaze towards Clark. "What seems to be the problem?"  
"See, Pete's entered and well..I'm pretty sure that his budget is kinda low..so..I was kind of wondering-''  
"Sure." Lex said.   
  
"Um..great." Clark said enthusiastically although he'd been a bit stunned as to how quick and inviting Lex had been.  
"Not that it's any of my business, but why wouldn't Pete come to me himself?" Lex questioned.  
Clark seemed to wince a little, not wanting to bring up Pete and the Ross' family hatred for the Luthors.  
"His family isn't too fond of the Luthors." Clark said slowly.  
  
"I see.." Lex said and pondered momentarily. He let the moment pass and was soon behind his desk, rummaging through the surface's contents.  
Clark didn't like Lex's ambiguity so he had tried to veer the conversation in another direction, although he still wondered how he would get the money for Pete.  
"So Lex, are you going to be hosting the event?" Clark asked.  
  
"No." Lex said, finally retrieving a leather bound organizer. "I've entrusted one of my closest plant workers, Alan Lawry. He also happens to be a prominent member of the PTA so it seemed like only a natural choice."  
"Yeah...his son Joe goes to Smallville High." Clark said.  
  
"I hear he's quite the film maker. I'm afraid Pete might be up against some stiff competition." Lex said. He concentrated his gaze towards a check he'd just opened and prepared to write.  
"As long as he's having fun making it, I think he'll be fine.." Clark said confidently.  
"I'm sure." Lex said, before he finally looked up to Clark. "So, how much should I make the check out to be?"  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Hey." Chloe said, a jovial smile plastered across her face.  
  
"Hey." Clark said just as eagerly, his hands moving their way to the curvatures of Chloe's hips.  
Chloe's head leaned upwards, lids closing involuntarily as her lips brushed upon Clark's. No it wasn't a dream, or at least, that was what she kept on telling herself. Shooting this movie hadn't been as bad as Chloe might've suspected after all.  
Lana looked on from behind the counter clearly vexed. Her eyes squinted almost vindictively as she watched 'James' and 'Serena' embrace each other.  
"Cut." Pete called out, pulling the headphones off of his ear and gave the signal for a boy who was working the camera to stop filming.  
Clark had clearly heard what Pete had said, but his lips had still been moving against Chloe's lips. He loosened his hold upon Chloe's hips, but Chloe had still been gently kissing him. Clark's eyes fluttered open.   
"Cut..." Pete repeated, almost laughing as he was clearly aware that Chloe had gotten a little bit carried away.  
Lana's tiers shifted in an uncomfortable fashion. Voluntary blinks moistened her eyeballs as she watched the two. Whatever emotion, whether it be jealousy or pain was masked underneath her uncomfortable expression.  
Chloe had let go, a bit embarassed as to letting the kiss go on a few seconds longer than it had to have.  
"Sorry, I guess I must've just..gotten carried away in the role.." Chloe let her eyes drag down to the floor, half laughing hoping to ease any tension that may have arose.  
Clark lifted his eyebrows a bit surprised. He let his look fall upon Lana who had exchanged an almost hurt glance at him. She soon switched her view's direction towards Erica who had come up to ask her a question. Clark bit down on his lower lip, sighing a bit as he realized that Lana had just caught what had happened.  
"We made a good amount of headway guys, just a few more scenes to shoot tomorrow. We can all go home."  
"Yeah, because going back to my real life is just so much more fun than acting in another..." Tony said grumpily. He didn't want to go home.  
"Sorry man." Pete said, as he began to help put away the equipment.  
  
Chloe walked over towards Pete, reviewing a few scenes with him. Meanwhile, Clark had walked over towards Lana, who had just put on her white coat.  
"Lana..." Clark said, as if he were about to apologize for something.  
  
"Hi." Lana said after trying to beat her look of hurt down. She feigned a friendly smile while hands had pushed her dark silken hair out from underneath the back of her coat.  
Apparently she hadn't been mad. Clark swallowed a bit, before coming to the conclusion that he had nothing to apologize for. Lana was with Whitney, and things with Chloe had been progressing into a more romantic sense...  
"I'll see you tomorrow..." Clark said a bit sheepishly. He hadn't really thought of anything good to replace his apologetic statement from before.  
"..Yeah." Lana said, nodding before she gave him a small wave good bye.   
  
Lana had begun to approach the exit of the Talon. She crossed over from behind the counter and had stopped suddenly to let two boys who were carrying a piece of lighting equipment to pass by.  
A speaker that had happen to lay just above Lana had been supported by a cord. A cord that had been gradually wearing away to its wires, but still managing to keep the speaker suspended all of this time. The speaker's cord had been giving way slowly, as well as others placed sporadically about the ceiling of the Talon.  
A small noise had been emanating from the speakers. The speakers hadn't been shut off after the usual cycle of music that plays during the hours it was open. Lana now just catching wind of the problem looked up to see if she could hear the speaker's small buzzing sound to make sure she had forgotten to shut it off.  
She sighed a bit, realizing she'd have to go to the back room and shut off the system. The cord snapped.  
  
"Lana!" Clark yelled from behind the counter. He couldn't use his super speed or else everyone see him, but then again if he didn't, Lana might die. 


	2. Chapter 2

Clark's voice rang throughout the confines of the Talon. Clark stood behind the counter, his eyes opened wide with fear. He knew there was no way he could get to Lana with or without his powers.  
  
Lana's brows crinkled before she looked up. Arms wrapped themselves around Lana's waist and tugged her back. The speaker hit the ground in a cloud of sparks accompanied by a small boom sound.  
  
"Are you ok?" Pete asked, his arms still wrapped around Lana's waist.  
  
Lana struggled to speak, her mouth half ajar before she finally pulled her look away from the broken stereo.  
  
"Yeah..I'm..fine.." She said a bit breathlessly.  
  
Pete nodded, and was unaware that his arms were still lightly wrapped around Lana's waist. Clark looked on and a sigh of relief swept over him. His brows couldn't help but raise as he noticed how close Pete was to Lana. Pete gave a look around the Talon before he finally caught Clark's gaze. He let his hands off of Lana's waist and cleared his throat.  
  
"Look there's someone up there!" Chloe murmured while she half pointed upwards.  
  
A figure sprinted from the upper level and was approaching the back. Clark had instinctively followed en route. He swiftly climbed the stairs that snaked against the wall. The figure had easily maneuvered towards an open window.  
  
"Hey!" Clark yelled after him. He would've used his powers, but he couldn't risk anyone from below seeing him.  
  
The figure slipped out of the window in one fluid motion. Clark had reached the windowsill and stuck his head out into the night sky. Dim lighting from the streetlights near the alley lightly illuminated his face. A face that had a bewildered expression. There was no one on the fire escape below, or on the street.  
  
"Clark who was that?" Pete's voice interrupted. He had been behind Clark and finally caught up to him.  
  
"I don't know.." Clark said in a distraught manner.  
  
"Whoever it was, they left this behind." Pete said hastily and pulled a silver plated watch into Clark's view. The LuthorCorp logo had been embedded into the back of the watch's face.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------  
  
"It's a nice watch, my dad has one just like it." Chloe held the watch in close examination in front of her eyes.  
  
Pete, Clark, and Chloe had been sitting in the Torch offices trying to make sense of what happened the night before. Clark sat perched on a desk near Chloe while Pete was standing over her shoulder. He too examined the watch carefully.  
  
"What a surprise, whoever it was is involved with the Luthors." Pete said rather distastefully.. "Man, I knew they were bad news."  
  
"Pete, we don't know for sure." Clark said quickly. He tried to come to the Luthors' aid, or more importantly Lex's.  
  
Pete sighed a little and figured now wasn't the time to voice his opinions on the Luthors.  
  
"Have you talked to Lex about what happened?" Chloe asked.  
  
"Yeah, he's just as confused as we are." Clark replied.  
  
Chloe put down the watch and typed in a few things on the keyboard that was before her. She tried searching into LuthorCorp's database for anything that might have told them anything about the watch, or more importantly who would own one. However her luck was short considering as many as 100 employees on the staff had them.  
  
"What are we gonna do now?" Clark asked. He dragged a look towards Pete.  
  
"Hey, we're still going on with my movie. Deadline's in less then 3 weeks and we've already got a good amount of it shot already. There's no way I'm backin' out now." Pete said.  
  
"Yeah..all pending on if Lana wants to still go through with it." Chloe added in, her eyes still glued to the monitor before her.  
  
"Go through with what..?" Lana suddenly joined the conversation. She strolled inside the Torch a little warily and let her look sweep towards the three.  
  
"Going on with the movie considering your latest brush with death." Chloe said, a bit unaware of how sarcastic it may have come out. She was researching and sometimes she really didn't pay attention to how high her glib-o-meter could go.  
  
Lana took in a small breath and let her look drift to the side for a moment before she answered.  
  
"..Yeah, why not..?" Lana made an attempt to sound casual. "It's really important to you Pete and I promised I'd help out."  
  
"Cool, thanks." Pete said.  
  
"..So um, have you guys found out what happened last night?" Lana asked before she gave a quick look to Chloe's monitor.  
  
"No..we're trying though." Clark tried to sound optimistic. He wanted to find whoever had tried to hurt Lana, badly.  
  
"Speaking of it, are we still on for shooting in your loft today after school Clark?" Pete turned his head to ask him.  
  
"Yeah, my parents said they're free." Clark nodded.  
  
The bell suddenly rang to signal that 5th period was now over. Clark rose from his seat ontop of the desk and joined Pete and Lana at the door.  
  
"You guys go ahead, I have a free next anyway." Chloe typed in a few more things on the keyboard.  
  
"Let me know what you find out later?" Clark asked.  
  
"Would we have it any other way?" Chloe finally took her gaze off of the monitor and towards Clark. A small smile had settled itself on the lower half of her face.  
  
Clark returned the smile and headed out of the door after Pete and Lana.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------  
  
"Man, I told you Clark, this acting stuff is easy." Pete said as he walked down the hallway with Clark..  
  
Last period had just ended and Pete and Clark had headed towards the Torch to find out if Chloe had made any headway into the investigation. Clark looked around at various teenagers making their way about the hallway, most eager to leave.  
  
"I guess..but it's not like I have to be out on stage in front of everyone, so it's ok." Clark tried to reason.  
  
"Damnit." Joe said angrily.  
  
Joe had been searching for his father's watch all morning. It had seemed to be missing. His eyes roamed the contents of his locker ravenously. Papers flew everywhere as his hands delved into the mess madly.  
  
"You ok?" Clark asked him, coming to a halt with Pete at Joe and his open locker.  
  
"I'm fine." Joe said distractedly as he rummaged through the contents of his bag now. "So um..how's your movie coming along?" Pete asked a bit uncomfortably.  
  
"If by my movie you mean my masterpiece... it's going great." Joe replied with a smug grin. His small wired glasses had been adjusted with his hand, as he looked condescendingly towards Pete and Clark. "Sorry gents, but I have to be tending to that now." Joe said and slammed his locker shut. He figured getting in a few more shots on his film wouldn't hurt before the sun went down. Joe brushed past the two as they gave him odd looks.  
  
"At least it hasn't gone to his head..." Clark said sarcastically while he and Pete approached the Torch. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------  
  
"Cut." Pete waved his hand as he signaled the scene to come to an end. "That was great Mr. And Mrs. Kent." He encouraged them.  
  
"You really think so?" Martha asked as she got up off of the floor.  
  
The scene consisted of Chloe's character Serena's parents murdered on the floor, murdered of course by Lana's character.  
  
"As lively as a dead body could be..you were great." Pete laughed a little while Martha and Johnathan had begun to leave the upper portion of the loft.  
  
"Is that it?" Clark asked. He folded his hands gently hoping that it was all that they had to do for today.  
  
"Yup, that's it." Pete said while he packed his camera into it's case. "I should be going anyway, I have to shoot a couple of scenes over at Lana's house.  
  
"See ya." Chloe said, shooting him a small wave before he too had exited the loft.  
  
Clark had slowly made his way towards the couch that was near the window that exposed the vast night sky. He rubbed his hands against the material of his denim jeans and looked towards Chloe.  
  
"I hope Pete and Lana are safe from our flash homicidal attempted- murderer." Chloe said. She walked towards the space on the couch next to Clark and set herself next to him.  
  
"They should be fine." Clark nodded. "Lana said Nell had Sheriff Ethan over there just in case anything like last night happens again."  
  
Chloe nodded. There was a little bit of an awkward silence the befell the two teenagers. Clark had an uncomfortable look on his face. Chloe sensed this and arched a thin brow curiously. The makings of a smile were visible on her face. She always found it sort of cute when Clark was a little shy about something..that is other then towards Lana.  
  
"Clark what is it?" Chloe maintained a casual disposition and leaned back to make herself more comfortable on the couch.  
  
"It..? There's no it." Clark looked away and partly down. He tried to not seem like such a spaz around Chloe. Now that he'd known her feelings, and his own were starting to blossom for her, he almost felt the way he once had around Lana.  
  
"Ok, Clark. Speaking as one of your best friends for two years now, I can tell when there's an it with you.." Chloe shot him a subtle look.  
  
"I was just wondering if you..wanted to do something this weekend?" Clark swallowed hard and finally turned to face her.  
  
Chloe smiled a little, almost flattered. She kept her look on his handsome features and couldn't help but feel a little tingly. They'd already gone to the journalist convention in Metropolis a week ago, and that was sort of like a date. She assumed he was asking her out on one now, which of course she couldn't refuse.  
  
"Sure." Chloe finally said, while she smiled from ear to ear. "How could I resist that Kent Charm?"  
  
Clark grinned, clearly relieved that she had accepted. He slowly put his hand on Chloe's knee, giving it a light squeeze. He brought up his gaze towards Chloe who he had now noticed was a little closer to him-he didn't mind. Chloe put her hand ontop of Clark's hand and let her smile remain.  
  
Clark took in a small, silent breath. Should he? Shouldn't he? It's not like they haven't before. Clark fluttered his eyes a little as he slowly leaned forwards, Chloe doing the same. The quiet chirping of the crickets outside seemed to make the mood romantic.  
  
Chloe's lids gradually closed as did Clark's. The soft touch of Clark's lips against her own made her spine shiver. She'd thought about this for so long...and she'd nearly forgotten how it felt kissing Clark, what with their 8th grade encounter and all. Clark let his hand lift to settle on Chloe's cheek, Chloe's hand rested at Clark's side. The moment was perfect.  
  
A sudden intense heat had been felt on her skin. Was kissing Clark always this hot? The sound of disintegrating wood caught Chloe's hearing. She slowly opened her eyes while still kissing Clark gently, and jumped back surprisedly at the blaze that had started to eat away at a bookshelf.  
  
"Clark!" Chloe gasped.  
  
Clark turned around with a curious look on his face and now witnessed the intense flames. He immediately sprang up from the couch, as did Chloe. His arms instinctively found their way to Chloe's smaller frame. Could he put out the fire? How? He'd have to get Chloe out of here first, that was his main concern.  
  
"We have to get out." Clark said quickly and kept his hold on Chloe lightly.  
  
Clark kept his hand wrapped in Chloe's as the two had made their way down the staircase leading to the lower level of the barn. Chloe's hand covered her mouth as the smoke had already begun to fill the spacious interior of the barn.  
  
Once the two had reached the lower level, they quickly dashed towards the doors.  
  
A quick flame shot up around the doors, avariciously consuming the wood.  
  
Chloe had started to cough a bit now, and looked around frantically for another exit. Clark followed her example and realized that their way had been cut off towards the opposite end of the barn where the other entrance was.  
  
They were trapped. 


	3. Chapter 3

I noticed something. A lot of the Clana stories get tons of reviews. Why is this? I'm a Chlark fan and this is an S.O.S. to all Chlark fans who enjoy this story and the Chlark, Please review! :-)  
  
Hope you like this installment.  
  
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Clark swallowed gently as he tried to think of a way to get out. Chloe's hand gripped Clark's with a sense of worry as she continued to look around. She contemplated on trying to jump over the burning piece of wood that had fallen from the ceiling, but it had been too high.  
  
"Clark!"  
  
A muffled voice could be heard faintly through the sounds of crackling fire.  
  
"Clark are you in there!?"  
  
It was the voice of Jonathan and Martha.  
  
"Mom! Dad!" Clark called out. He figured breaking down the door that was lined with fire would be easy for him, but it would bring up too many questions with Chloe.  
  
"We're here son!" Jonathan said from the outside. He looked on worriedly as he tried to think of a way to get them out.  
  
"Jonathan, the tractor!" Martha called to him.  
  
Jonathan didn't take a moment to hesitate. He ran towards the tractor as fast he could and hopped in skillfully. He tried starting the motor, but with the broken down piece of farm equipment, it didn't seem like it would happen. Nevertheless, he continued to start the ignition.  
  
The cries of horses from the other side of the burning mound was just one of the many that was drowned out by the sound of the fire. By this time, Chloe had taken out her cell phone and quickly called 9-1-1. As she did this, Clark slowly inched away from her. With Chloe's back turned, he pressed his lips together and faced the door that was beginning to burn down.  
  
"Hello!?" Chloe managed to speak, but tried her best to stifle coughs with the sleeve of her shirt. "Me a-a-and my boyfriend, we're..we're trapped inside of a fire on the Kent farm!"  
  
Chloe had soon told the operator the address. Clark clenched his fist and lightly shied his head away from the fire as his fist was put powerfully against the burning wood of the door. The sound of breaking wood soon drew Chloe's gaze towards the door. Her eyes widened in surprise. All she noticed was Clark and the door seemingly broken to pieces.  
  
"Chloe come on!" Clark insisted as he retreated to grab hold of Chloe. Clark feigned a few coughs as the two had now managed to exit the burning barn.  
  
"Clark, how did-" Chloe had stopped in mid-sentence with her cell phone still plastered to the side of her right ear. She'd noticed Mr. Kent inside of the tractor that was beside the barn door.  
  
Martha came rushing forwards to the two and wrapped her arms around them. "Are you two alright!?" She questioned while embracing the two.  
  
By this time the sound of ambulances and fire trucks filled the night sky.Jonathan got out of the tractor to meet Martha. Clark watched on with a solemn expression on his face. He knew that this fire was a deliberate one. It was probably started from the person from the night before. Clark looked towards Chloe who by this time had seemed to be transfixed upon the rising flames that continued to rampage along the roof. Clark wrapped his arm around her protectively as the firetrucks and now arrived and worked quickly to put out the fire.  
  
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Lex's digits nimbly began to type away at the laptop that had been placed ontop of his desk. His expression kept up its seriousness as Lana had now entered the library.  
  
"Lana, just who I wanted to see." Lex said calmly. He shifted his positioning on his chair and rose.  
  
"Lex." Lana regarded him with a small smile. She kept her hand on the strap of her shoulderbag as she came to a stop before his desk.  
  
"I'm guessing you've come for the insurance check to cover the cost of the broken amplifier." Lex held his hands inside of the pockets of his dark gray slacks.  
  
"I'd hate to ask, but.." Lana broke off for a moment.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Lex held his hand in front of him as a signal for Lana to stop. He retrieved his checkbook from his pocket and picked up a pen from the surface of his neatly organized desk. "Why so remorseful? This is what insurance is for." He started as he began to write the check.  
  
"I know, it's just..I guess I feel a little uncomfortable asking people for money." Lana replied.  
  
Lex tore the check out of the book and folded it neatly into Lana's hand. "I understand."  
  
Lana pressed her lips together and shook her head thankfully. "Thanks Lex." She placed the check inside of the pocket of her shoulder bag.  
  
"Another thing you and Clark have in common." Lex gave a small smile. "He came by a few days ago to pick up a check I agreed to write for Pete's movie production." Lex hoped that this would help sway Lana into Clark's direction. It had been a little while since he received an update from Clark on the Lana situation. Although he was interested, his cool demeanor suggested anything but. Lana let an eyebrow perk as she finally brought her look to Lex.  
  
"We all appreciate it Lex." Lana replied, trying to be polite.  
  
"It's no problem." Lex let a small smile break his seemingly expressionless look. "By the way, how's Clark doing? I haven't had a chance to talk to him since he had come by explaining to me what happened at the Talon."  
  
"He's..great, actually.." Lana said a bit unenthusiastically, though she hadn't meant to.  
  
"Something wrong..?" Lex queried.  
  
"Oh, no." Lana quickly tried to cover it over with a small smile. "It's just, I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to him lately. Whitney's been going through a tough time...and Clark and Chloe are seeming to spend a lot of time together, so it's no worry.." Lana hid any small amount of emotion that could be interpreted as jealousy as she added in that last part...a little bit purposefully.  
  
"How does that make you feel?" Lex questioned a little quickly. He'd been curious to find out what was it that was on Lana's mind when the idea of Clark and someone else had been brought up.  
  
"I'm not sure...fine I guess..." Lana partly played confused as she shot Lex a lighthearted questioning expression. "..Why?" Lana laughed a little, hoping to not to let things get too serious.  
  
"No reason." Lex cave a casual shrug and also gave her a small smile.  
  
A small silence had now made itself into the conversation. Lana bit down on the very inside of her lower lip gently as Lex kept his gaze upon her. Lana hadn't really wanted to discuss any..possible feelings she may have been having with the situation of Clark and Chloe.  
  
"Well um, thanks again Lex." Lana finally smiled to him before she slowly turned around to exit.  
  
Lex stood there stoically as his mind had begun to try and decipher what Lana was really feeling. She was clearly jealous. He was quite eager to discuss this new relationship Clark seemed to be having with Chloe as well as Lana's feelings towards it with Clark himself.  
  
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"Wow.." Lana uttered.  
  
Chloe, Clark, and Lana had sat at a table near the counter inside of the Talon. Chloe and Clark had spent the past half an hour explaining what had happened the previous night before. Some things were a little sketchy as the two had relayed to Lana what exactly they were doing right before the fire had started. Lana was able to put the pieces together, but once again hid any signs of her feelings on the matter.  
  
"More like..scary." Chloe quickly turned to face Clark. "Or at least, that's how it was. Let me tell you, I've been face to face with fire before, but it was just as scary this time around." Chloe brought her look to Lana.  
  
"I wish we knew who was behind this." Lana said, frustrated. "I'm just thankful that nothing happened at my house after Pete left you guys."  
  
"Don't worry Lana, we'll find out." Clark tried to assure her.  
  
"Lana, how's Whitney doing?" Chloe asked.  
  
"He's dealing. These past few days have been really rough for him. I'm heading over to his house tonight." Lana answered.  
  
"I can imagine." Clark said. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost any of my parents."  
  
Clark was very thankful for having Martha and Jonathan Kent as his parents. He wasn't exactly sure if fate was involved, but all he knew was that having them in his life was the most important thing to him. They loved him unconditionally, despite his powers, despite his occasional bad temper, they were there for him, no matter what.  
  
"Lana." Shirley, a waitress came upon the table where the three had been and handed her an apron. "Break's up boss." She casually smiled.  
  
"Alright, Shirl." She laughed a little as she stood up. "Do you guys want anything now that I'm back on the clock?"  
  
"Um, nonfat no foam latte if you please?" Chloe asked.  
  
"Sure, no problem." Lana nodded and turned to Clark. "How about you Clark?"  
  
"No thanks Lana." Clark nodded.  
  
"Alright, see ya guys." She turned and headed behind the counter.  
  
Clark took a final sip of his cappuccino and set it down on the table's surface. He watched Lana for a few seconds before the thought of the mystery at hand broke into his thoughts.  
  
"I'm glad that the damage done to the barn isn't that extensive." Chloe brought up the incident again. "Me too." Clark responded.  
  
A new thought came trampling through his mind, a thought that peeked a smile from the corners of his mouth.  
  
"What?" Chloe noticed the smile.  
  
"It's just...last night, when you were on the phone with the police..I heard..." Clark stopped for a second, trying not to laugh. "I heard you called me your boyfriend.." Clark let a brow raise playfully and kept his smile.  
  
Lana stepped beside the table with the tray and set the big coffee mug before Chloe. "..Here you go.." Lana did her best to try and act as if she hadn't heard the words that Clark had just said.  
  
"Um, thanks Lana." Chloe shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and handed Lana the exact change for the beverage.  
  
"No problem.." Lana said it a little distantly before she left the table. She didn't bother to exchange a look with Clark.  
  
Clark's brow sunk into curiosity as he looked over his shoulder at Lana, completely unaware that she had heard what he had said, but brought it back to Chloe in the same instant. Chloe had taken a small sip of her latte before she finally took in a breath.  
  
"Yeah, about that Clark..there was the fire..and.." Chloe bit down on her lower lip almost as if she were embarrassed.  
  
"I was gonna say, that if you did..I didn't mind." Clark shone his smile to her and slid his hand across the table's surface to go ontop of Chloe's. Chloe's worried look soon turned into that of a sheepish, shy, smile as she gave a small laugh.  
  
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Lana slowly ascended up the porch steps of the Fordman residence with her hands folded. It had been a slow afternoon as Pete and the rest of them, including her, had finished up a few more shots in and out of Smallville High. Luckily there had been no attempted murders, or accidents. Maybe it had been because Clark kept his eye around them like a hawk. Once the thought of Clark entered her mind, she expelled a breath and shut her eyes. She couldn't think of Clark, not now. She was going to be comforting to Whitney right now.  
  
After she had taken a moment to clear her head, she wrapped on the door lightly. An almost sullen Mrs. Fordman answered the door.  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Fordman, is Whitney here?" Lana questioned lightly, not wanting to disturb her in any way, shape or form. "Oh yes..come on in Lana." Mrs. Fordman held open the door to let Lana pass through the threshold.  
  
Lana stepped inside of the hallway that held the stairs beside it. She offered a gentle smile and put her hand on Mrs. Fordman's back.  
  
"How are you doing Mrs. Fordman?" Lana asked.  
  
"I'm ok Lana, dear." Mrs. Fordman had looked like she was doing everything in her power to not let herself breakdown.  
  
"If you feel like talking, you know I'm always here for you." Lana offered.  
  
"Thanks, dear." Mrs. Fordman forced a smile before Lana embraced her in a small hug.  
  
"Hey Lana." Whitney said as he stood in the middle of the staircase. "We'll be upstairs mom." Whitney told her as Lana had joined him at the stairs.  
  
The two walked inside of Whitney's room, Whitney closing the door behind them. Lana made her way towards the edge of his bed and folded her hands inside of her lap.  
  
"How you holdin' up?" Lana asked him.  
  
"I'm ok." Whitney lied.  
  
Whitney had stood at his dresser drawer, clutching a football that had once belonged to his dad. No matter how he was feeling, he knew that he couldn't breakdown in front of anyone, especially Lana. Despite the fact that Lana had repeatedly told him that he could be himself with her, his innate manly attitude told him he couldn't.  
  
"Whitney!" It was Mrs. Fordman.  
  
"Yeah mom?" Whitney opened his door and called downstairs.  
  
"I'm going out for a bit to visit Edith, I won't be back until late tonight." Mrs. Fordman called upstairs as she stood at the door.  
  
"Ok." Whitney replied.  
  
Mrs. Fordman exited the house and kept her hand at her mouth. She took a deep intake of breath before heading over towards the car.  
  
Back inside of the house upstairs, Lana kept a close watch on Whitney. "I dropped by to let you know that Pete's looking for an extra I his movie." Lana relayed the news hopefully, figuring that Whitney didn't want to dwell on what had happened. "I'm not really up to it.." Whitney told her. He made his way to sit beside Lana on his bed and put his hand on hers.  
  
It was kind of ironic considering the fact that he was acting now. He didn't want to bring Lana down in despair along with him and the rest of his family.  
  
"I understand." Lana gave his hand a light squeeze and looked at him gently.  
  
Whitney swallowed gently and joined in her gaze. He leaned in forward and his lips met with Lana's. He slowly began to kiss her and Lana reciprocated. Lana's hands had moved to the sides of Whitney's face, gently holding his face in place as her lips massaged his own. Whitney's hands were wrapped around Lana's small waist. This made Whitney feel better. Talking hadn't really been helping his grief, but just being with Lana in this romantic sense gave him a sense of comfort. Lana broke the kiss.  
  
"Are you sure you don't wanna talk about things?" Lana said, her voice just above a whisper.  
  
"I'm not sure.." Whitney let his eyes veer down.  
  
Lana understood that he wasn't comfortable talking. She gave an involuntary movement of her lips before she slowly inclined herself and began to kiss him. Things seemed right, almost as if they were back to the way things were. Whitney was with his girlfriend. The girl that he truly loved. Whitney moved his body gently forwards, which caused for Lana to be underneath him on the surface of his bed. As the two embraced, Lana's mind began to think.  
  
Whitney let his hand gently caress Lana's sides. His lips removed themselves from Lana's and placed delicate kisses on the side of her neck. Lana's eyes remained closed as her hands rested on the backs of Whitney's' shoulders.  
  
"Whitney.." Lana half moaned and half whispered. She wasn't exactly sure what things might escalate to be.  
  
Whitney removed himself from her neck and locked eyes upon her. His hand lifted to brush back a strand of her dark hair, and he gently smiled to her.  
  
"Lana...I love you. You've been here for me and my mom..and I really appreciate it." Whitney's voice was also hushed.  
  
"I'm your girlfriend..it's kinda my job." Lana laughed, her fingers caressing Whitney's cheek. "I just want to be here for you.." Lana blinked rapidly a little, a sign that usually meant she was unsure or debating something.  
  
"I know." Whitney leaned forwards and began to gently kiss her.  
  
The two continued their embrace. Lana hadn't known what to think. She didn't try to think. She put herself in the moment, and before she had known it, Whitney was easing her white coat off of her upper body. She tossed the coat to the floor and kissed him. Within a moment or two, Whitney's t-shirt had come off. Lana stared into his eyes, with brows furrowed. The two soon returned to kissing each other. Lana tried not to think.  
  
"...I love you too.." She breathlessly uttered, possibly without thinking.  
  
The lamp that had been illuminating the room sat ontop of Whitney's nightstand beside his bed. Whitney gently moved his hand to the side while still kissing Lana and the light went off. 


	4. Chapter 4

I'm really sorry for neglecting this story, but don't worry I'll be finishing it soon!  
  
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Lex had been shuffling through a stack of papers that were on his desk. His eyes roamed past the assorted words and numbers. Business as usual.  
  
"Mr. Luthor." A man's voice broke Lex's train of thought.  
  
Lex had put down the paper that was in his hand. He cast his look away from the papers and onto the man that had entered his office.  
  
"Mr. Lawry." Lex greeted him professionally.  
  
"I heard that you wanted to talk with me about something?" Mr. Lawry stopped before Lex's desk.  
  
"Yes..I just wanted to make sure you were still on for hosting the upcoming Smallville High film festival..I know that you've taken an interest to it what with your son participating and all" Lex kept his hand underneath his chin.  
  
"Oh, you bet." Mr. Lawry said cheerfully. "My son is a sure candidate to win."  
  
"You sound awfully confient." Lex told him with a neutral tone of voice.  
  
"My boy's a shoe in. He's a great director." Mr. Lawry kept his warm expression.  
  
"I'm sure he is." Lex told him. His cool demeanor never faltering.  
  
"Well, I'll let you get back to your work Mr. Luthor." Mr. Lawry told him.  
  
Mr. Lawry had approached the doors that had led him into the office originally. He moved to absentmindedly wipe his wrist–there was no watch.  
  
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Lana was found wiping down the countertop inside of the Talon. Her mind had been on the focus of last night's events.  
  
"Lana, are you ok?" Clark's voice suddenly broke in.  
  
"What?" Lana said incoherently and snapped out of her trance. "Oh..yeah..I'm fine." Lana forced a smile and a casual laugh.  
  
"Are you sure?" Clark asked, a look of concern tainted his features.  
  
Lana had set aside the rag she had been using to wipe the counter and picked up a tray that held two mugs of coffee. She maneuvered away from the front counter and set the orders of the coffee to two elderly women who had been sitting at a table..postponing Clark's question for a moment.  
  
"It's just..things with Whitney." Lana said, she put aside a strand of her dark hair and returned to her place behind the counter.  
  
"He's still doing ok?" Clark asked..he couldn't help but feel for the guy..he had lost his father.  
  
"Yeah..that's what he tells me anyway." Lana raised both of her brows that indicated resentment. She knew Whitney hadn't always been completely open with her on occasion. "It's just..I went over to go visit him last night." Lana had managed to keep her look away from Clark.  
  
"What happened? Clark asked her tentatively.  
  
Lana held off for a moment. Her look was still on the surface of the newly wiped countertop. "We..got close." Lana said. Her tone bordered on hushed.  
  
"What do you me-'' Clark had broken off..his mind finally understanding what she had meant. "Oh." Clark said to finish off his statement. His eyes wandered partially to the counter as well.  
  
"We..almost..got close." Lana concluded.  
  
Clark silently breathed a sigh of relief. He'd by lying if he said that he wasn't happy that they hadn't gotten that close. Although he had his new romance with Chloe, there were still those underlying feelings that were attached to Lana.  
  
"So..are you ok?" Clark finally asked again. He was unsure of what to say.  
  
"Yeah.." Lana broke off. "..It's just..getting that close with Whitney with the circumstances..just didn't seem right." Lana offered a casual shrug. "..So how are things with you and Chloe?" Lana said to break the inevitable silence that fell. She brought her look forwards to view Clark, finally.  
  
"What do you mean..?" Clark kept his unbelievable look of bewilderment. He wasn't sure if Lana had been officially told of his and Chloe's budding romance.  
  
"I mean..how are things between you two?" Lana said, a small laugh followed. She could tell that Clark was quite reserved on the matter.  
  
"..Things are..good." Clark said to her and swallowed gently. As far as he knew, she didn't seem to be upset by it.  
  
"..Good." Lana nodded firmly, once again going back to carefully wipe down the countertop.  
  
"..Yeah..Good." Clark said again. He matched his previous tone, and with it came a half generic smile.  
  
As night fell upon the town of Smallville, most people could be found going to bed. They might be tucking in their little kids, or heading on the computer, partaking in each one's own nightly activities. For Chloe Sullivan, it meant spending a long night at the Torch offices within Smallvile High.  
  
"Finally, done." Chloe said with a sigh of relief. She hit enter on the button to save her work. After it had been saved, she made sure to turn off the computer.  
  
Chloe had risen to her feet and grabbed her bag. Her free hand rummaged through it, the intrepid reporter searched for her car keys. While Chloe's look was diverted downwards to view the contents of her bag, a faint knock was heard at the door. She lifted her look to find no one there.  
  
"..Hello..?" Chloe asked, a brow had crinkled. No one had seemed to be there. She was unsure of whether or not the lack of sleep was making itself known to her by way of figments of her imagination.  
  
Brushing this off, Chloe had finally retrieved her keys. She kept them in her hand, and turned the lights off. With her bag slung over her shoulder, she closed the door to the Torch and proceeded to lock the door. A sudden bang resonated throughout the empty and dark hallway. Chloe's body jumped. It was the sound of someone or something hitting the lockers.  
  
"Hello..!?" Chloe raised her voice louder, still glued to her spot.  
  
There was no response.  
  
Chloe had taken in a small breath and had quickly started off in the opposite direction of the loud noise. As she headed towards the stairway at the end of the hall, the sound of her keys jangling in her hand were the only ones in the dark hallway. Again, there was another loud crash. Chloe stopped for a moment and hadn't bothered to turn around. Her body tensed. Within a moment, she was ready and willing to get herself outside. Memories of Shawn Colvin idly tramped through her mind..and how he had tried to steal her body heat while she had been alone inside of the school at night.  
  
Once Chloe had reached the top of the stairs, a sudden force had pressed itself against her back. She emitted a small yelp as her body went tumbling forwards along the hard steps that begun to lead the way to the first floor of the school. Disoriented, Chloe grit her teeth and pressed her hands against the floor to get herself to her feet. In an instant, she scrambled towards the second flight of stairs leading to the first floor.  
  
Now she had known someone was with her. Going as fast ass he could, Chloe had endured the small pains that ached through her body and reached the front doors that led into and out of Smallville High. She gave it a quick push, but to no avail the doors wouldn't budge.  
  
"Oh no." Chloe muttered breathlessly.  
  
The janitor had apparently locked up. Scared, she turned around carefully, and pressed her body against the doorway as she looked down to the other end of the darkened hallway. Her only other chance was to head to the side exit that was there. She kept silent, her eyes squinting through the pervading darkness of the hallway to try and see if she could see her attacker.  
  
Chloe decided to go for it. She did her best to run through the hallway, but by the time she reached the middle, she felt a sudden hold around her smaller body. Instinct had taken over, and Chloe quickly stamped her foot on the attacker's. Hearing a groan, Chloe squirmed her way free and broke off towards the end of the hallway, finishing her journey.  
  
She pushed the door open and the cool night's breeze hit her. Chloe didn't have time to indulge in it. She began to make her way around the side of the building, not bothering to look back. Once she had reached her red, Volkswagen Beetle convertible, she habitually tried to open it. The door remained shut. Realizing that she needed her keys, Chloe was about to search for them before she remembered that she must've dropped them when she was pushed down the stairs. Panicked, she began to move away from her car..she hoped that her attacker hadn't been following her.  
  
Weaving her way through the maze of leftover cars in the parking lot, Chloe did her best to try and endure the bruises sporadically placed on her body. Running, she managed to keep hold of her bag, and disappeared into the night. 


	5. Chapter 5

"So, Chloe are you sure that you're ok?" Sheriff Ethan said as he put a hand to her shoulder. 

"..Uh..yeah..yeah I'm fine." Chloe said..her tone indicating how unsure she was. With a few scrapes and bruises, she brought a hand to her forehead and gently touched the bandage on her forehead.

"Don't worry, we'll find whoever's behind all this." the sheriff told her as he put his notebook away. "Do you want me to give you a ride home?"

"No, that's ok...my dad's coming to pick me up." Chloe nodded.

"Alright." Sheriff Ethan said.

As the sheriff had exited the doorway, another figure walked in. It was apparent by his movements that he was in a rush.

"Chloe." Clark's voice broke in. Clark walked into the small room within Smallville Medical Center. "Are you ok?" He asked, his tone rich with sincerity.

"Clark, hey." Chloe greeted him. "Uh..yeah..I'm a little banged up though.." As if to try and make light of the situation, she continued. "Gee..who would of thought that the hard hitting article I wrote about the not-so-secret meat surprise in the cafeteria could lead to attempted murder."

Under normal circumstances, Clark would've given a slight laugh, but his concern for her suppressed it. He wrapped his secure arm around Chloe's shoulder as he let his head fall gently to view her face better.

"Chloe this is serious...I'm sure that whoever did this is behind all of the other accidents that have been happening lately."

"...I know.." Chloe uttered almost silently. Tears had begun to well up in her eyes. She did her best to try and take it lightly, but the truth was the fact that she could've died scared her...it did every time. Feeling Clark's secure presence, she brought her head to the crux of his shoulder and buried her tear-stricken face into the material of his red denim coat.

With a wince of sadness, he wrapped his other arm around Chloe as they had begun to embrace.  
Bringing his hand to the back of her head, he gently stroked her soft blonde hair as his brows lay furrowed in thought and sympathy.

The following Monday, Clark, Chloe, Pete, and Lana were all gathered within the confines of the Torch. Chloe sat at her desk, eager as always to return to work. Pete had been pressed against the windowsill.

"So...are we sure this is gonna work?" Lana questioned. She stood primly near the doorway, arms folded. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the plan they had devised of trapping whoever had done this..but she knew it had to be done.

"Well, yeah." Clark said. He did his best to try and stand by it. "This can't keep going on any longer..especially if its endangering all of us."

Chloe gave a strong nod..still a little shaken up by Friday night's incident. Although, during the weekend, Clark did manage to help console her in between the final shots of Pete's movie.

"Alright!" Pete, yelled to Chloe. "Action!"

With that single word, Chloe had begun to run like a mad woman along the shoreline of Crater Lake. That same panic and fear that she had endured a few nights before seemed to be making a return. Once Pete was satisfied, he yelled "Cut!"

Coming to a stop, Chloe brought a hand to her chest and tried to catch her breath. She was extremely relieved to know that was the last shot she had to film. As Clark and Lana approached her, Clark put a hand on Chloe's back and gave it a small rub. Chloe gave a small smile towards him as she gently leaned in against him.

Keeping her lips tight, Lana nodded and brought her gaze up to Clark. "So...is this it?" She questioned..nervousness interlaced with her words.

Clark gave a nod before throwing his look to Pete who was just off in the distance. With that as the signal, Pete packed up the video camera and had begun to approach the woods. On the call sheet, it was stated that Crater Lake was the final location that was going to be shot at. So far,  
Clark and the others had managed to conclude that whoever was behind this must have had a copy.

Clark gave a nod to Chloe and Lana before they had begun to walk and follow Pete. Clark was to stay behind and try to look for this assailant..somehow he knew that the person was there..it was just a matter of finding them. With his abilities...he was sure he'd be able to find him in a matter of minutes. Chloe threw a glance behind her to signal how worried she was for Clark's safety.  
Clark offered a small smile to her to let her know he'd be alright. After Lana, Chloe and Pete had reached Pete's car, Clark took off into the woods.

"I'm still not sure I like this." Chloe said...verbalizing her reservations.

"Don't worry Chloe...Clark can take care of himself." She tried to assuage her nervousness by giving her a reassuring arm rub.

"Yeah, Clark can handle it." Pete said, finally sticking all of his equipment in the bed of the truck.  
"Pete..do you think you could just..stay here..? You know for reassurance? As much as past evidence indicates that Clark can handle himself..I think it'd be a good idea if you were here..Lana and I could just drive back to town." Chloe had been thinking this plan over all night in her head...and she knew that if Clark was made aware of it, he'd protest it. Him and his savior complex.

"..Yeah, I can do that." Pete said. He handed Lana his car keys and stepped away from the driver's side off of the main road.

"Don't forget to call us if anything happens." Chloe told him as she climbed into the passenger seat.

"Don't worry, I won't." Pete said.

Lana stuck Pete's keys in the ignition and was peeling down the road at a steady pace moments later. Unsure of what to say, she could tell that Chloe was worried. Heck, she was worried herself. Clark was her friend...and she didn't want anything bad happening to him either. As Pete watched the two girls take off, she cleared his throat a little bit uncomfortably and looked around the desolate lake. He rubbed his hands together and muttered.. "...Come on Clark.."

By this time, Clark had been scouring the various environment with his x-ray vision. Trying to spot anything out of the ordinary, he moved along the obscured path with steadiness. Now that Pete, Lana, and Chloe were gone...he was free to use his abilities. Suddenly, something caught his eye. Within a fraction of a second it had taken to realize it, he was there in an instant.  
Furrowing his brows, he took note that it seemed to be a pole stuck in the ground with something black draped over it. Moving the corner of his lips downwards in disappointment, he sighed and began to take a quick look around.

"Ah!" Clark let out as he hit the ground.

Something hard had been smashed against the crux of his neck. Startled by its strength, he moaned in agony as he managed to roll onto his back. It hadn't taken long for him to realize what was happening. His blood was boiling...his skin felt on fire...the meteor rocks. Above him stood a dark figure cloaked in all black. Clark continued to let out groans of pain...trying to get to his feet. It just so happened that the figure had taken a rock interlaced with meteor rock to hit him over the head with. The figure dropped the rock near Clark...pleased with himself.

Hearing faint groans...Pete snapped his head to the line of trees that served as the barrier between the shore of the lake and the woods. "Clark.." Pete said to himself before breaking into a run.

The dark figure had Clark down, his foot placed squarely on Clark's chest. "I don't know how you did that...but it still doesn't change the fact that you made a big mistake making this movie"  
The figure held within his hand a large pistol. Aiming it at Clark's chest, he tried to decide where exactly he wanted to shoot.

"...no...s-stop.." Clark managed to get out..his voice strained by the pain of the meteor rocks.  
"..don't do this.."

Mustering all of his strength, Clark whipped his leg out and tripped the figure. Instantly the gun went off. The dark figure had toppled to the hard ground below. Now they were on a somewhat even playing field. Trying to shy away from the glowing green rocks, he squirmed to try and go for the gun...anything to get it away from him. Who knew what the bullet's effect on him could have if he was in his weakened state.

"Clark!" Pete's voice could be heard through the trees. He was close.

Once the figure had regained the breath he had lost from falling, he tried to get to his feet.  
Stumbling towards the fallen teenager and the gun, he tried to wrestle it out of Clark's hand.  
Successful, he struggled to fire.

Luckily, Pete had arrived and dove at the criminal. Bringing him down, Clark remained writhing in pain on the ground. Pete had been wrestling with the figure. Now that the figure had managed to get ontop of him, Pete lashed out wildly. His fingers had clutched the figure's mask, and tore it off with ease. Pete's eyes widened in shock to see who it was. The man punched Pete violently.  
As he went to punch him again, Pete blocked and countered with his own right hook that brought the man off of him.

Looking over to Clark, Pete had realized that the figure wasn't moving. Running to Clark, Pete absently wiped a trickle of blood from his nose as he grabbed Clark. "Clark, man are you ok"  
he yelled.

"..Pete...pete get me out of here.." Clark let out. Scared, Pete was thinking that maybe Clark had been shot. Doing his best to try and drag Clark away, he tried to search for any gunshot wounds.

Once the duo had been away from the meteor rock, the green shine that it procreated dimly died.  
Within moments, Clark felt stronger. Able to support himself, he gently eased Pete off. "Pete...I think I'm ok now."

Pete nodded, and let Clark stand. "It's Joe's dad, Clark.." Pete's voice quivered..all of this time he was expecting it to be Joe. Almost immediately he realized that he needed to call the police.  
Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out his cell phone. As he dialed, he told Clark took a look back to see that Mr. Lawry was still lying on the ground..apparently he wasn't young enough to take all of the trauma.

By the end of the week, things had seemed to have settled down. Mr. Lawry had been detained by the Smallville police department, and Pete had successfully finished editing his movie. As the Festival arrived on Friday, Pete's nerves had begun to take a hold of him. Sitting with Clark, and Chloe, he along with everyone else sat anxiously awaiting for the verdict on the awards.

"You know, with all the stuff that's happened, I hope they take that into account when voting"  
Clark broke the silence..trying to ease Pete's nerves.

"Yeah, you'd think but...this is Smallville...weirder things have happened." Chloe answered.  
Looking around, she spotted Joe who had been sitting just at the end of the row in front of them.  
"Looks like Joe's handled things pretty well."

Pete and Clark both brought their looks towards him. Knowing how passionate Joe was..Clark was surprised to see he'd been composing himself pretty well, considering the fact that his dad was now gonna be carted off to the nearest medium-security prison.

"What with the sad incidents that took place in the past few weeks, I along with the rest of the Smallville High faculty wish to express our thanks that everyone is safe." Principal Kwan addressed to the crowd. Since Mr. Lawry had been arrested, Principal Kwan took his place with the hosting duties.

"I'm pleased to announce that first place goes to...Debra Flanagan."

As her name was announced, the crowd had begun to clap with whoops and cheers. Sheepishly,  
Pete spotted Debra who had begun to approach the stage for her award. With a hint of sadness,  
he knew that he wasn't gonna win first place, what with his amateur film making skills and all..but he at least hoped to win some award.

"Second place goes to...Joe Lawry."

The crowd's reaction seemed awkward as a few claps had begun to eminate from it. Clearly the fiasco with Joe's obsessive father had vexed a few of the students. Pete knew that Joe was talented...and wasn't that surprised to learn that he'd managed to beat him.

"And now...honorable mention goes to...Peter Ross."

Pete jumped slightly in surprise as Chloe and Clark gave him warm smiles and clapped hearitly.  
A silly grin couldn't help but paint Pete's dark features as he stood up to head on stage for his award.

As the festival's award ceremony ended, Pete's glee was made apparent. Clark gave him a proud pat on the back. "Congratulations Pete." He stated..

"Thanks man." Pete said. "I couldn't have done it without my actors of course." He looked to Clark and then Chloe.

"Yeah...needless to say that this whole experience has kinda soured any modicum of interest I may have had in the acting biz." Chloe lifted a sarcastic brow.

As Pete's parents had approached him with hugs and congratulations, Pete bid farewell to his friends as he left to go and celebrate with his parents. Clark and Chloe were left ambling away from the football field where the ceremony was held.

"I'm just glad everything turned out ok." Chloe said.

"Yeah...it's been a crazy few days hasn't it?" Clark noted, also relieved to know that everyone was going to be safe.

Chloe offered a knowing nod, before dragging her look to Clark. "You know, Clark...if I haven't said it enough...thank you..for you know...offering a shoulder to cry on." Chloe brought her eyes heavenwards and raised the pitch of her voice...it was soon followed by small laughter.

"Of course." Clark said, and wrapped his arm around the smaller blonde. "You know I'm always here for you."

Not being able to contain any giddyness, Chloe let out a small giggle as her features lit up with happiness. It felt nice to have Clark by her side. "So...now that our acting careers are officially over what do you wanna do now?" Chloe threw a sideglance upwards to him.

Clark looked off into the distance with a pondering expression. "How about we go see a movie?..we never did cash in on our plans to spend time together."

Feeling elated, Chloe nodded in agreement. "Alright...sounds like a plan." She smiled whole-heartedly and rested her head on Clark's shoulder.


End file.
